Friday, September 10, 2010

In Diana's Footsteps

This is where her life began, at Althorp, a life fit for a Princess-to-be. Not exactly in this building, which houses the stables, although they are very grand:

The main house is covered by scaffolding due to work on the cladding and roof. Diana's brother Charles vacates the estate during July and August, but the house is left much as it is when his family is in residence, with books, games, and other personal touches casually left in public view. This is part of its charm for visitors:

However, Diana growing up in such a beautiful environment could not keep her safe in later life. Here is the road above the Alma Tunnel in Paris, where she met her death thirteeen years ago. Because the public cannot access the tunnel itself, this replica of the flame of the Statue of Liberty above it serves as a de facto memorial:

The public in their grief have scrawled messages, one pointing out the irony that Diana, whose mythological name means the huntress, found herself hunted in her final moments:

Two years ago, I photographed another memorial at Harrod's in London, but it is no longer there as Dodi's father has since sold the store:

Now Diana is remembered through the memorial fountain in Hyde Park, near Kensington Palace, where she once lived:
Although the fountain's design was criticised when it first opened, it is utilised by many children, a fact which Diana would have loved:

The gates of Kensington Palace, the site of a sea of flowers and an outpouring of grief at her death:

The Diana memorial playground behind the palace:

There is a sense of symmetry in the fact that Diana is now buried on an island on the estate where she grew up:

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About Me

I live in a boatshed and I like beautiful things. I would say that my style is a mixture of vintage, French and bohemian. I like the country house look, but with a laid-back feel. Most of my furnishings are pre-loved as I prefer the look and feel of old things.